Triano's Over His Head

Courtesy of John Hollinger via supersub from the RealGM.

OK, we need to stop mincing words and call this what it is: Jay Triano is in over his head, and if the Raptors don't do something about it, it will cost them their best player this summer. The 146 points Wednesday night by Atlanta was the latest ridiculous example of Toronto's defensive ineptitude, and while the roster composed by Bryan Colangelo is far from ideal in this respect, this should not be the worst defensive team in history. Right now it is.

Getting defensive effort from players is one of the basic measuring sticks for an NBA coach, and Triano has failed miserably in this respect. The carping in the locker room following Wednesday's defeat spoke volumes -- players were basically begging the coaching staff to go through the film and go over the mistakes so they could correct them. Which makes one wonder what on earth the Raps were doing for the first quarter of the season while opponents conducted layup drills at their expense.

There's an added urgency for the Raps because of Chris Bosh's impending free agency -- if the Raptors can't show substantial improvement, he's probably a goner after the season. And it appears there's no chance of Toronto's showing that kind of progress under Triano. It would be a desperation move to change conductors at the 20-game mark, but I'm not sure the Raptors' situation gives them much of a choice.